How SMBs can harness Facebook

With over 1.6 billion people globally connected to a small business on Facebook and 210 million to a small business on Facebook in Australia, local SMBs have the potential to speak to customers all over the world.

As Facebook regularly updates its tools for SMBs, the platform is making it easier for business owners to understand and use the various features to expand their business and speak to the correct audience. Below are three tips to help SMBs harness the Facebook platform and ensure they are speaking to the right consumers.

1) Start simply, build a Business Page

Starting on Facebook is easy, any small business can do it! All you need to do is build a Business Page. A Facebook Business Page creates a focal point for your company in the market, helping to increase exposure to potential customers. It also allows your business to receive Facebook Insights, meaning you can better understand your unique audience and ultimately connect with them in a more authentic way. Facebook has recently redesigned its Business Pages to ensure it’s even more compatible on mobile, making it easier for people to interact with their local businesses. For example, people can make a reservation at a restaurant, book an appointment at a salon, or see most recent photos, upcoming events, and offers from your business. Consumer can also now see Stories on Pages to get to know the people behind the business.

2) Ensure you’re content is mobile first

As more people turn to their phones to discover a range of new things, from the latest trends to new products offerings, small businesses need a strong mobile strategy. 87% of Australians are now using a smartphone, brands must optimise their content for mobile, so they are able to reach the right consumer. With most people holding their phone vertically 90% of the time and 72% of millennials not turning their phones to watch widescreen videos, it’s important businesses create content that has a vertical focus. If consumers aren’t viewing content in widescreen, why should you be making it in that format?

A good strategy when creating mobile first content is to create it on your mobile. This means the content is already in the right format and easy for your consumers to view.

3) Get creative with your content

At Facebook, we know creating content isn’t always easy, so to ensure all SMBs are created equal we made the creative studio, meaning all businesses have an even playing field and the same tools to develop interesting and unique content. The creative studio houses everything small businesses may need, from a brilliant camera, to a ton of easy to use apps. The aim of the creative hub is to help users to make world-class advertising for their business. The hub is a perfect example of how there are many more ways out there to build great work, without breaking the bank. With story content growing 15x faster than feed content and set to overtake it in terms of number of pieces produced, SMBs should also be looking how they create stories. A good place to start is testing a few different types of stories and seeing what your community engages with regularly. To help SMBs use the platform correctly, Facebook has also developed Blueprint. Blueprint is a global training and certification program that focuses on how businesses can market themselves on Facebook. As part of

Facebook’s ongoing commitment to SMBs, the business has developed Blueprint courses specifically for this audience. These short courses provide information on the best practice for advertising on Facebook’s family of apps and services. Tools such as SMB fast track are a great way for owners to get their businesses up and running on the platform. With Facebook continually updating its business tools, keep an eye on the Newsroom to ensure you’re able to best harness the platform.

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